The Time Has Come
by Shimegami-chan
Summary: One-shot. Two of the Gundam pilots lose an important part of their lives when one leaves to go on to bigger dreams...a friendship fic that could be taken as shounen-ai if you wanted.


Gundam Wing belongs to Sotsu an' Sunrise, and some other people who are not me. *shrug*   
  
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Shi-chan: The chapter system's gone all to hell, so here's a GW one-shot.   
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The Time Has Come  
~By Shimegami-chan  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: GW, as promised. If you're looking for one of my Digimon serials, [chapter 2 of 'In Your Shoes,'][1] was posted today, as well as [chapter 11 of 'Sandglass.'][2] If you're looking for GW fics, Relena's 'Broken Mirror,' will be up sometime this week. Thanks minna-san!  
  
  
  
  
_The time has come  
It's for the best I know it  
Who could have guessed that you and I...  
Somehow someday, we'd have to say...goodbye...  
_   
  
  
  
  
I didn't want to tell him at first.   
  
Didn't want to beleive it, didn't want to go through with it. Didn't want to see the look on his face when I broke the news. I thought he might have followed me. He's not tied down by a lot, after all, but the place has become pretty important to him.   
  
I wondered how he'd take it. A million things I never said, I could have said...and things I'd never say. Oh, no, not to his face. You think I have a death wish? Nope. Although, the black eye would have been worth it to see the look on his face...but no. He'll never know, and I won't say a word.   
  
I think we silently agreed that that's the way it would be.   
  
  
  
I told him, finally, after the others all knew. Quatre was happy and sorrowful at the same time; sad to see me go, yet enthusiastic about the opportunity. We all had to grow up sometime, our childhoods had been ripped from us, but we could still plan futures that masqueraded themselves as though we'd all been raised good, normal little children. Trowa was quiet, reserved. Wished me luck. He's a good guy, not that talkative, I didn't expect much else. He smiled when I waved good-bye for the last time. That meant a lot to me, I was surprised to learn.   
  
Wufei was pretty bad, actually. He and I got along okay after the war, as long as I could keep my mouth closed long enough for him to get a word in edgewise. We were close friends, and he had to fake nonchalance when we parted ways. "Looks like it'll be getting quiet around here, I never thought I'd see the day." He looked angry. I knew better just from the way his eyes glistened, and at the last minute he pulled me into a stiff hug. Rather out-of-character for Wu-chan...then again, I wasn't planning to ever come back.   
  
  
  
After Wu, I told Heero. His mouth just dropped open, a thousand silent pleas spilling out. "How--how long?" he finally managed.   
  
I just stared at the ground. "It's an uncharted area, and space travel's expensive...I might not come back." I wished he'd say, 'I'm coming too,' and yet hoped he wouldn't. The quiet life there wasn't for him. Hell, it wasn't for _me._ But the kids at the orphanage here had put up an awfully convincing argument, especially when they heard that all the money collected for them was going toward building an all-new shelter there. _I could stay,_ I kept telling myself, _decide at the last minute._   
  
_I could have stayed._   
  
I didn't want to kill anyone anymore. The Shinigami's life was behind me now; I could do something to make a difference, I could change these kids' lives. They'd grow up happy, and well-fed, and--   
  
Normal.   
  
That decided it.   
  
So here I am, sitting in a shuttle courtesy of Relena Dorlian-Peacecraft, and biding my time till takeoff. The others are outside under the Earth's warm blue sky; Quatre waving as though he wanted to fly the ship with the air currents from his hands, Trowa standing stoically, arms crossed; Wufei with his hands on his hips, offering me a mock-salute American-style. I waved back, wishing for the one person who was missing.   
  
The engines roared to life, jarring the occupants of the seats, and making one of the kids cry from all the noise. One of the sisters shushed him frantically. I turned back to the window, catching sight of an unruly mop of brownish hair on a familiar frame.   
  
There he was.   
  
I caught his apprehensive stare almost immediately, lifting a hand slowly to wave good-bye. He stepped closer, less than ten feet away from the firey engines, shouting something to me. My own name. _Duo..._   
  
I pressed against the glass and spoke softly. "A guy like you should be able to read my lips," I whispered softly, a wave of deja vu washing over me. "I guess this is good-bye."   
  
He nodded slowly in response.   
  
"There are a million things I'd love to say, Heero." I waited for a plume of smoke to clear from the window. He had great vision, but he wasn't superhuman.   
  
//Like what?// His voice echoed as clearly inside my head as if he were in there himself.   
  
I smiled kindly at this angry teen, the boy who had been my best friend and partner since the day we met. "It's better this way, my friend. So I'll just say...so long..."   
  
And he smiled at me.   
  
The engines fumed, lifting the shuttle from its berth and hurling us into the night sky, as I waved a silent farewell to Heero Yuy.   
  
  
  
_Who could have guessed that you and I.... Somehow, someday, we'd have to say,   
  
Goodbye..._   
  
  
  
  
  
  
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Shi-chan: Well? How did you take this, shounen-ai-ish or not?

   [1]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&StoryID=278819&Chapter=2
   [2]: http://www.fanfiction.net/index.fic?action=story-read&StoryID=229476&Chapter=11



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